Livestreaming: Will you get caught?

  • 24/05/2016
Cellphones are everywhere so can livestreaming of events be policed? (Getty)
Cellphones are everywhere so can livestreaming of events be policed? (Getty)

Boxing fans who illegally livestreamed Joseph Parker's fight on Saturday night have been threatened with legal action by promoters Duco Events.

Sky charged $50 for a digital stream of the fight, money Duco Events says was supposed to go toward covering the $2 million cost of putting on the match.

SKY TV has also vowed to crack down on piracy "theft" saying in a statement: "At SKY we take protection of rights we have purchased very seriously. There will be repercussions for those behaving dishonestly."

But what if you are attending a ticketed event and want to share it with people who aren't there? In a time when almost everyone has a smartphone and livestreaming is so easy and accessible, can it be policed?

NZ Rugby League says they currently aren't doing anything to combat livestreaming. A spokesperson told Newshub they have never seen it as a problem before.

"Now that someone else has had an issue we might look into it, but we have no policy around it," he says.

Music promoter Dave Munro says there is no established policy on dealing with smartphone recording at live music events.

He says smartphone use is so ubiquitous it would be too hard to control and people are still getting their heads around the new technology.

Live music is not affected by online sharing in the same way as sports games, he says.

"There's nothing like the live experience with music. Sport is designed to be broadcast, but music isn't. A real fan is going to go to the show."

Entertainment law specialist Chris Hocquard says you can legally take a photo or film at an event, as long as the coverage isn't "substantial".

"What can you film and what can't you film? It's just going to come down to the individual promoter."

He notes that one discouragement against filming is the pain of holding up a smartphone for long periods of time.

Auckland Museum has an open access approach to smartphone use. Visitors are welcome to take pictures and film as they walk through the galleries.

"We also encourage online access to events at the museum, for example a Smart Talk held in April this year was broadcast on the Periscope network providing another opportunity for visitors to engage with the content digitally," communications advisor Clare Dowthwaite says.

Newshub.